I Became the Male Lead's Adopted Daughter-Chapter 205

“Who do you mean?”

Varia asked.

“Do you mean someone is helping the Empress? Feeding her information?”

Leonia nodded.

“If the Empress really has been involved in everything that’s happened up to now, and if it was all for revenge against the Emperor...”

And if all of this was also for revenge against the family that raised her to the position of Empress—

Leonia had taken the hint from Ferio’s offhand remark.

“She wouldn’t lean on her own family.”

“...Of course!”

Varia exclaimed in understanding.

“If her target is the Emperor, she wouldn’t depend on Olor, who are part of the Emperor’s faction.”

“There’s no way she planned all this alone,”

Lupe raised his voice, sounding somewhat excited by the possibility.

Consort Usia was known to be dull and foolish.

But if everything had been a calculated act, she wouldn’t have made a single mistake that exposed her true nature.

So then—how had the Empress managed to back the Emperor into a corner?

How had she planned all this?

And from whom had she gotten the information to make such plans?

“One thing’s certain—it wasn’t Olor.”

Based on everything that had happened so far, both the Imperial family and Olor had suffered losses.

As Leonia spoke, her hands began to sweat.

‘This too... a changed flow.’

The baby beast, just moments away from discovering something extraordinary, was starting to breathe heavily.

A woman who was insignificant and foolish in the original story had now become the most frightening, unpredictable threat.

Just as the Duke of Aust had predicted.

‘Seize your father’s title.’

At that moment, the Duke’s prophecy—one that had long lingered in her mind—resurfaced.

‘...I’ll think about that later.’

Leonia pushed it away quickly.

It was the prophecy that weighed most on her mind, but it wasn’t something that would be realized right now. She could think it over later.

“Then who is it?”

Trying to shake off the thought, Leonia asked.

“Someone inside the palace. Someone who could pass information to Consort Usia, who can gather intel, and who wouldn’t be suspected no matter how often they approached her.”

But the problem was, there was no one like that around the Empress.

She was favored by Emperor Subiteo. That alone made outside contact difficult.

“...A prince?”

At that moment—

Varia murmured in a doubtful tone.

“Prince Alis?”

She suddenly remembered seeing Prince Alis reading in the library.

***

“Your Highness! Please, just a little faster...”

“I am walking fast right now, am I not?”

“Class is about to begin.”

“Ugh, honestly.” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Unable to bear the nagging any longer, Prince Chrisetos let out a grumble.

“I’ve barely returned from my trip and already I’m being rushed again.”

“If Your Highness is late, Her Majesty the Empress will never forgive me.”

“But I’m the one who gets scolded in the end, so it’s fine.”

“No, I’m the one who gets scolded directly!”

The attendant ignored the prince’s whining and kept urging him forward.

At this point, Prince Chrisetos felt completely wronged.

“It’s not even like I want to be late...”

In truth, he had only just returned from his trip. But he hadn’t even had time to rest.

Emperor Subiteo’s neglected workload had piled up in his office.

“Does this even make sense? I’m still just a prince.”

It was absurd that he, not yet even crowned crown prince, was handling the Emperor’s duties.

But the moment he saw the mountain of paperwork waiting on his desk after his trip, his vision had gone white.

“What the hell is His Majesty even doing?”

“Well... today he said he had to meet with an important guest.”

“Haa...”

Prince Chrisetos had no words left for his father’s ridiculous behavior.

‘What could possibly be more # Nоvеlight # important than state affairs?’

At best, it would be people like Olor or Erbanu—sycophants just eager to stroke his ego.

Chrisetos felt ashamed to be his son.

‘Thank the gods I only inherited his face...’

He was sincerely relieved that he’d taken after his mother on the inside.

“...Alis?”

Prince Chrisetos narrowed his eyes.

Prince Alis, walking from the opposite direction, narrowed his eyes as well.

“What brings you here, brother?”

Chrisetos spoke first.

“And what about you?”

Alis responded in a crooked tone.

‘Ugh, that brat’s attitude...’

He couldn’t remember ever receiving a proper greeting from him. Chrisetos kept a pleasant smile on his face but grumbled inwardly.

“I’m on my way to class.”

“Then go.”

“...I asked what you were doing here. Are you not even going to answer your younger brother’s question?”

He summoned some patience to ask again.

“Younger brother, my ass.”

Alis sneered with disdain.

“It’s not like we even think of each other that way.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

Chrisetos shrugged. With such a blatant remark from Alis, he no longer felt the need to pretend to be the kind older brother.

“Still, some things should be upheld.”

As someone born of royal blood, he believed he needed to act properly—at least in public.

If he couldn’t manage that much, he’d be no different from the Emperor.

“How’s your little sister doing?”

Alis asked while glancing at the silver-haired knight escort standing behind Chrisetos.

The young knight gave a slight nod.

“You said you didn’t even consider her family, didn’t you?”

Chrisetos tilted his head.

“You really should stop using illness as an excuse to hide away.”

“Scan really is sick.”

“What a burdensome little sister.”

“Watch your mouth.”

Chrisetos’s tone dropped threateningly. His golden eyebrows twitched.

“Scan is my one and only sister—and my friend.”

“......”

“She tries harder than anyone. What do you know to say something like that?”

At those words, Prince Alis smiled strangely.

“I know more than you think.”

The two princes glared at each other in silence.

“Y-Your Highness...”

Their attendant, nervously watching the tension, finally stepped in to remind Chrisetos. If they didn’t leave now, he really would be late.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Chrisetos was the one to move first in the end.

“Well then, shall we pass each other like nothing happened, as usual?”

He asked as if offering a gesture of goodwill. Alis closed his eyes briefly, seemingly in agreement.

Just as they were about to pass each other like nothing had happened—

“You disgusting pedophile bastard!”

A high-pitched voice tore through the air, stopping both princes in their tracks.

***

The day before.

Olor had sent a letter to Voreoti.

It said there was something important the two families needed to discuss—and that they should speak only the truth in front of His Majesty the Emperor.

“That son of a bitch...!”

Leonia clutched the letter and gasped.

“He already ran his mouth to the Emperor?”

Then she flinched at her own use of “son of a bitch.”

Glancing sideways, she saw Varia fuming so hard the corner of her eye was twitching. Leonia sighed in relief.

“Ferio, can’t we just kill him now, after all?”

Varia pleaded earnestly.

“Just thinking about what Leo might have to go through, hearing that kind of filth...!”

The mere thought of it filled her with rage and revulsion.

Varia still didn’t think of herself as a perfect mother. She believed she was lacking, inexperienced, and had much to improve.

But at this moment, she was absolutely certain she was a better parent than that bastard.

“If he really thought of her as his daughter, he would never do something like this!”

“That’s why we’re choosing this method.”

Ferio’s voice was calm as he replied.

“Because that man isn’t human.”

But the hand holding the crimson envelope was clenched so tightly that veins bulged along his knuckles.

Even Ferio’s patience was nearing its limit in the face of Olor’s shameless antics.

“If there’s a Demon King in hell...”

Leonia leaned against the window and clasped her hands in prayer.

“Please reserve him a seat. I’ll be sending someone your way.”

Suppressing their murderous intent with great difficulty, the three members of the Voreoti family headed to the imperial palace the next day.

“Hiiik!”

The servant who had come out to guide them recoiled in shock.

The moment the Voreotis appeared, his skin broke into goosebumps and his knees nearly buckled. He instinctively leaned against the wall.

He could hear footsteps, but at the same time, it felt like he couldn’t hear anything at all.

A beast baring its fangs and growling flashed through the servant’s mind.

Everywhere those three walked, he saw blood-soaked hallucinations.

‘The stench of blood...’

There was no actual blood, yet the servant felt nauseous from the overwhelming metallic stench in his nose.

He wondered if what he was smelling was the future—his own blood.

But he quickly shook the thought away.

“T-This way...”

Barely managing to pull himself together, the servant led the Voreoti family forward.

Because the Emperor was waiting in the room ahead.

“Open it.”

Ferio said as they arrived at the reception room.

The door opened, and the Voreoti family stepped inside.

Emperor Subiteo, Remus Olor, and Viscount Olor were waiting.

Varia instinctively looked for Lota. Her younger sister, Remus’s wife, was not there.

Nor was Consort Usia.

When Remus saw Leonia, he sprang to his feet.

“Ah...!”

He slowly stepped closer, disbelief in his eyes.

“It’s really you...!”

“Dad, this bastard’s lusting after the republic again.”

Leonia tattled to Ferio—meaning Remus hadn’t even bothered to greet them properly again.

Ferio looked dumbfounded.

“Olor must really think the sacred ranks and titles of this Empire are beneath him. Just like at the last banquet, he dares to show such disrespect in front of His Majesty the Emperor again today...”

“Lord Olor.”

Emperor Subiteo gave a light warning.

“Be careful.”

“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

Remus corrected his posture and bowed again.

“My sincerest apologies, Duke Voreoti. Duchess Voreoti.”

He looked as if he were overjoyed to see benefactors.

“We received your letter.”

Ferio ignored Remus and took his seat. Varia brought Leonia into her arms and sat beside him.

“What exactly do you mean by saying there is something important for our two families to discuss?”

“Why such urgency?”

Viscount Olor replied with a leisurely smile. But his crimson gaze was fixed openly on Leonia.

“It is truly an important matter.”

Remus, now back in his seat, took several deep breaths.

“Duke, I hope you won’t be too angry after hearing what I have to say.”